Massive Attack recorded a song with Tom Waits. It is dedicated to the protests in Minneapolis

British electronic band Massive Attack and American singer and actor Tom Waits have released a joint single called “Boots on the Ground.”

The song “Boots on the Ground” has political overtones: it is dedicated to the history of the protest movement in the United States over the past six years. From the Black Lives Matter movement that emerged following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, to the recent raids in which immigration officers shot and killed two local residents, US citizens Renee Goode and Alex Pretty .

“We are honored to collaborate with such an outstanding, original and holistic artist like Tom, although this track comes out in an atmosphere of chaos. Across the Western Hemisphere, state authoritarianism and police militarization are once again merging with neo-fascist politics. Against the backdrop of a national emergency both within the United States and abroad, this track contains echoes of callousness and detachment,” said Massive Attack frontman Robert “3D” Del Naya on the occasion of the track’s release.

The song is accompanied by a short film made from photographs of protests in Minneapolis.

“Boots on the Ground” can be heard on all streaming services except Spotify. Massive Attack refuse to publish their new music there due to the fact that the service is "funded by deadly, dystopian technologies." Streaming founder Daniel Ek invested in the military company Helsing, which, among other things, develops drones.

The song will also be released as a single on vinyl . The flip side will feature a spoken word composition by Waits called “The Fly.”

Tom Waits hasn't released a new song since his 2011 album Bad as Me. Massive Attack's latest mini-album "Ritual Spirit", available on streaming, dates back to 2016. In 2020, the group released the single “Eutopia”, consisting of three new songs. You can only listen to them on YouTube .